


Avaleigh Sanctum

by HinataOC



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Brotherhood, F/M, ocxcanon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2018-06-27
Packaged: 2019-05-29 15:17:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 19,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15075959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HinataOC/pseuds/HinataOC
Summary: A lifetime is filled with moments; some happy and joyous, while others are sorrowful. Follow the moments of a young teenage girl named Avaleigh Becker, as she traverses through the land of Eos. Begins two and a half years before the fall of Insomnia.





	1. Chapter 1

Avaleigh Sanctum

Thin sun rays beamed through the large window, cascading soft light into the bedroom. A quiet snore was the only sound in the room, coming from a slumbering girl snuggled in the midst of fluffy layers of blankets and pillows. Her wildly curly hair was the only thing visible, it's golden color shimmering from the sunlight. Beside her small bed was a white rectangular smartphone with a small cupcake charm dangling off the end of it sitting on top of a worn wooden bedside table. The phone's screen lit up and began to vibrate, its movement reverberating through the table and creating a rumbling sound that caused the girl to hiccup in surprise as she was suddenly awoken.

She peeked her green eyes up from her blanket cocoon, her vision blurred for a moment before it gradually fixated on the phone's screen. Letting out a long sigh, she groggily reached forward and grabbed her phone off the table, bringing it to her weary eyes. On the bright screen was a blue text bubble:

_I'm at school… where are you, Avaleigh?_

"School…?" she repeated with a whisper before widening her eyes and shooting up. "School!" she exclaimed as she looked up at the time in the top right hand corner of the phone's screen; it was seven thirty-five.

Frantically, she unlocked her phone's screen and texted back:

_On my way!_

Biting her lip in worry, she hit the send button and immediately shoved back her comforter before jumping out of the bed. She rushed to her dresser; a dusty-blue painted wood that met her height exactly at five-foot eight. Pulling open the drawers, she grabbed her school uniform before darting out of the room.

The strong scent of alcohol ambushed her senses the moment she opened the door, making her cough. She glanced from the hall to the living room, briefly catching a glance of her mother limp on the couch with a bottle of half-drunken scotch falling out of her hand. Avaleigh frowned, but didn't pay it much mind as she rushed into the bathroom and shut the door behind her.

The soft luminescent light flicked on, revealing the plain tiled bathroom with a large mirror taking up most of the wall behind the sink, and allowed Avaleigh to see as she peeled off her pajamas. She tossed her blue tanktop and yellow shorts to the ground before pulling on her uniform. She buttoned up her dusty light-blue collared shirt and tied a simple red bow around her neck, underneath the collar. A black jacket went on over it, lined with golden buttons that were cool to the touch as she buttoned it up. She pulled up a gray pleated skirt to her wide hips before precariously putting on the black cotton socks that reached up to mid-calf while struggling to keep her balance.

Letting out a breath, she looked at her reflection in the mirror. A sleepy flush covered her freckle dusted cheeks and her green eyes peered out in between her wild, golden curls that went in every which direction. With a small frown, she blew upwards, sending a few of the curls out of her face before they landed right back where they were before. She looked down at the marbled counter and reached into a small floral patterned bag, pulling out a handful of pins and hair ties. Holding some of the pins with the edges of her lips, she grabbed handfuls of her hair and worked it into a curly bun.

She looked at the finished product in the mirror and faintly let out a small smile of satisfaction. She glanced at her makeup bag and lightly bit her lip before checking her phone, seeing it was already seven forty-five.

"I can spare five minutes," she mumbled as she reached towards the bag and put on some quick blush and mascara before applying a golden brown eye-shadow.

Without giving herself another look, she put away all of her makeup and scrambled to grab her pajamas from the floor before running back out of the bathroom. She went back to her room and tossed her dirty clothes in a white cloth laundry basket. Then she went out of the hall to the small kitchen that overlooked the cluttered disorganized living room. She spotted her mom still slumbering on the couch and quietly moved to the front door that was right beside the kitchen, where her leather school bag and black penny loafer shoes awaited. She slipped the shoes on and placed her bag over her shoulder before walking over to the kitchen counter where a neat stack of raspberry tarts were just begging her to take them. Studying them, she reached forward and grabbed the very top one, taking a small bite out of it before dashing out the door.

The cool morning breeze greeted her the moment she stepped outside, but she didn't have any time to enjoy it as she was instantly running. She pushed open the thin wiry black gate that separated her front yard from the sidewalk and barely closed it before running out of the neighborhood. She stole small bites from her breakfast as she sprinted along, passing a grassy park where young children were already giggling and playing, unaware of the school days awaiting them in later years. A tiny girl, wearing a sweet frilly yellow dress that matched the bows tied in her chestnut hair, bounced up and down while holding a red ball in her hands, letting out a shrill string of childish giggles. Without looking, she threw the ball forward and it rolled right in front of Avaleigh.

Avaleigh skid to a stop, barely missing the ball and almost tripping over it. She looked down at it with surprise, only looking away when she heard small puffs of air as the small girl ran up to her.

"Oopsies!" the tiny girl squeaked as she ran over. She stopped right in front of Avaleigh and stared up at her with big blue eyes while pulling on the sides of her dress, suddenly falling silent.

Avaleigh sent her a sweet smile as she knelt down to her level and grabbed the ball. "That's alright," she assured her, holding out the ball to her. "Here you go."

The girl looked between Avaleigh and the ball before reaching forward and clutching the ball. "T-thank you!" she chimed as she turned around and scampered back to the grassy field where her parents were already awaiting her with warm smiles.

Avaleigh stood back up straight and watched as the mother of the girl gave her daughter a small kiss on her forehead. It was a simple sweet gesture, but it brought a frown to Avaleigh's face. Swallowing hard, she turned away and continued on her way, completely forgetting that she needed to be in a hurry.

She passed a few streets, not paying much mind that she was the only student still walking to class. Reaching the front gate, she looked up, seeing students pouring into the large school as the class bell was already ringing.

"There you are!" a familiar voice called out to her.

Avaleigh spun around to see a girl approaching her with a scowl apparent on her face. Her long, wavy burgundy hair was framed around her face, showcasing a small beauty mark on her left cheek under her narrowed golden-green eyes. She placed her hands on her hips as she stopped in front of Avaleigh.

"On your way, huh?" she asked Avaleigh with an unimpressed look.

"Oh, hey, Lenire," Avaleigh chuckled awkwardly as they turned and hurriedly walked towards the school. "I might have forgotten to set an alarm."

Lenire rolled her eyes and let out a breath, "Well, at least you made it on time. Wouldn't want to be late for the first day of school."

"Yeah…" she simply replied before saying, "It's not like it will be much fun at school anyways; you're moving up a grade."

"You'd be there too if you'd focus more on your studies," Lenire sharply replied.

Avaleigh shot her attention to Lenire, seeing the deep scowl on her face and the way her eyes were slightly distracted. "What's going on?" she asked her.

Lenire side-glanced at her and let out a breath while shaking her head. "It's… nothing. My car wouldn't start this morning. It wouldn't turn over."

"Serves you right," Avaleigh replied a bit jokingly, immediately noticing the unappreciative glare from her friend. With a quieted voice, Avaleigh pointed out, "You're not supposed to be driving yet, especially to school."

"Oh, please," Lenire rolled her eyes, not finding amusement in her situation. "You know I can handle myself behind the wheel."

"Of course I do," Avaleigh sent her a small smile. "I was just saying."

The second school bell rang, interrupting their conversation.

"Well, we better get to class then," Avaleigh nudged Lenire. "Try to have a good day, alright?"

Lenire simply sent her a small dismissive wave before turning and walking towards her new classes. Avaleigh watched her go for a moment before turning and heading to her own class. She was the last one in and was thankfully seated in the back along the long windows that took up the majority of the left side of the room. She meekly sat in her seat, trying not to bring any attention to herself and leaned her elbows on her desk in front of her before gazing out the window. With thirty other students in the classroom, the professor didn't pay much mind to her falling into daydreams.

From her seat she could see the busy streets of Insomnia outside the school walls. People walked to and fro along the long sidewalks, carrying shopping bags and other accessories while dragging small children behind them. Avaleigh glanced away from the street up to the Citadel Castle that towered in the center of the entire city. It was a completely contrasting design to the rest of the modern buildings that surrounded it. It was made of thick gray stone that was carved with intricate designs that Avaleigh could even make out from her seat in class. Out of the very top of it stood a tall spire that emanated a bright shining energy which shot straight up to create the protective barrier wall that surrounded the entirety of Insomnia.

Avaleigh watched the energy around the spire pulsate with fascination, thinking of everything happening outside the walls of Insomnia—it intrigued her to no end.

"Avaleigh Becker," the professor called her name, startling her out of her thoughts.

She blinked rapidly and whipped her attention back to the front of the class where her elderly teacher was staring at her with narrowed eyes.

"Y-yes?" she stammered.

"Are you present?" her teacher inquired with a bit of sarcasm laced in their voice.

"I believe so," she replied, hearing a few muffled snickers from classmates around her.

"Then please act like it," the professor scolded her before continuing with the role call.

Avaleigh let out a long breath as she leaned her head on her desk and laced her hands behind her neck. It was going to be a long day.

The day dragged on as she went from class to class, going through the mundane introductions given on the first day of the new school year and writing repetitive essays of what she hoped to gain from the semester. Eventually the final school bell rang and everyone was released for the day. Avaleigh packed her bag with her many books and folders while the rest of the class fled the room.

"So… how was your first day?" Lenire's voice brought her attention back up.

She glanced up to see Lenire leaning on the desk beside her; a scowl was still apparent on her face, but no more than usual. The previous ire from that morning seemed to have simmered down.

Avaleigh shortly smiled and shrugged, "Alright I guess. Nothing new. How about you?"

"I might have met the prince," she coyly replied giving a faint smirk at Avaleigh's widened eyes.

"Wait, like actually met Prince Noctis? Like talked to him?" Avaleigh asked as her smile grew with excitement.

"Yeah, actually," she softly chuckled. "He's sitting near me in class, but I probably wouldn't have actually talked to him if it wasn't for Mr. Sunshine." She let out a breath and rolled her eyes at the memory.

"Mr. Sunshine?" Avaleigh repeated with a laugh as she closed her stuffed bag and stood from her seat. "Who's that supposed to be?"

"This blonde guy, Prompto," Lenire told her with a sigh as they left the classroom. "The moment I sat down in my seat in class, he wouldn't shut up. Kept pestering me the entire day."

Avaleigh chuckled as she nudged her, "See, and you were worried you wouldn't make friends."

Lenire scoffed, but couldn't hold back a small smile as they exited the school. The bright sun momentarily blinded them as they came back outside to the school's courtyard. Students were still gathered around the area, chatting and laughing with their friends as they discussed plans for the afternoon.

Avaleigh let out a breath of relief from the fresh warmth of the sun. "It sure is nice to be outside. The school always makes me feel cooped up."

"Yeah-" Lenire began to reply before she yelped in surprise when an arm was wrapped around her shoulder.

"Hey Leni!" a cheery voice greeted her. "You should come hang with me and the Prince! We're headed to the arcade!"

Avaleigh whipped her attention over to see who, she assumed, was the aforementioned Mr. Sunshine, with his arm wrapped around a flustered Lenire. His cheeks were covered with freckles, just like Avaleigh, and a bright grin seemed permanently plastered on his round yet youthful face. His blue eyes sparkled with excitement as he went on talking about all the fun things he was planning to do at the arcade, while Lenire silently listened with her expression becoming more and more stern by the second. His hair was a light blonde, styled in such a way it looked ruffled but as if on purpose. Avaleigh looked at him with amusement, awaiting Lenire's reaction.

"So what do you think, Leni?" Mr. Sunshine, or Prompto, asked once his spiel was finished. "Wanna come along?" he glanced over at Avaleigh beside her and added, "Your friend can come, too!"

Lenire gently but firmly pushed him off of her and told him in a low voice, "I think I'll pass."

Prompto let out a defeated sigh but almost instantly returned to his cheery disposition. "Okie doke, no problem—maybe next time! See you tomorrow then, Leni!" He sent her and Avaleigh a wave before turning and dashing away.

"There's Mr. Sunshine," Lenire told Avaleigh as she straightened out her uniform with flustered cheeks.

Avaleigh bit her lip as she attempted to hide a smile but then doubled over laughing. "Oh my gosh! Could you have been any more awkward?"

"Me?" Lenire repeated aghastly with a hushed voice. "Who in their right mind thinks it's fine to just wrap their arm around someone they barely know? I mean, really…"

Avaleigh struggled to recover from her laughing fit and rubbed away signs of tears from the corners of her eyes as she stood back up straight. "I don't know, Leni," she brought extra attention to the nickname, "I think you should give him a chance. He might be a good friend for you. Loosen you up a bit."

Lenire rolled her eyes, "Yeah, well as long as he doesn't do that everyday I might consider it."

Still softly chuckling, Avaleigh looked after where Prompto had run, seeing him by the curb with a young man she instantly recognized as the Prince of Insomnia. He had black hair that fell in front of his dark eyes and faintly smiled at Prompto as his friend talked incessantly. His school bag was slung over his shoulder as he leaned against a fancy black car with his hand dug into his pants pocket.

"Him and the prince are really friends?" Avaleigh asked without looking away from them.

"Best friends from the look of it," Lenire replied. "You should have heard how they were talking with each other in class; completely informal."

Avaleigh's smile grew, "I'm glad the prince has a good friend though. Everyone's so scared to even look at him."

As she talked, the driver's door to the car swung open and a young man stepped out of it. He was at least a few years older than the teens leaning against the car and was taller than them by several inches. He was quite slender in stature, wearing a pristine, white long-sleeved button up shirt with a black suit vest buttoned up the front; covering the bottom half of a dark purple patterned tie that was tucked under his collar. He reached his hand up to his face and gently pushed up a pair of thin rimmed glasses on his straight nose before reaching towards the handle for the backseat of the car and pulling it open. The prince gave him a short nod before climbing into the car and Prompto gave him a trademark grin before getting in after his friend.

Once they were both safely in the car, the man closed the door and turned around, his eyes meeting with Avaleigh's. Even from the distance, Avaleigh could see the faint green color of his eyes behind his glasses that paired with his dirty blonde hair that swept over his forehead, barely grazing the top of his glasses. He sent Avaleigh a sweet smile as he shortly bowed before turning and getting back in the driver's seat of the car. As he drove away, Avaleigh let out a breath she hadn't even realized she had been holding.

"Earth to Ava?" Lenire's voice brought her back to reality as a hand was waved in front of her face.

"H-huh?" Avaleigh rapidly blinked her eyes and turned her head to see Lenire standing beside her with her hands on her hips. "Did you say something?"

"I had been talking about what we should do tonight, but then I looked over and you were lost in dreamland again," Lenire informed her with one of her shaped eyebrows arched.

"Oh…" Avaleigh realized as she awkwardly chuckled. "Sorry about that. I just got distracted." She looked back up and saw that the car was already driving away. She slightly frowned as she asked, "Do you know who that guy is?"

"Which guy?" Lenire asked as she followed her friend's gaze.

"Um, no one, forget I said anything," she shook her head and turned towards her friend. "So, what had you been saying?"

Lenire looked at her unconvinced, but sighed as she let it go and told her. "I asked if you wanted to come over for dinner."

Avaleigh thought about it for a moment before shrugging, "Sure, why not? My mom is probably still passed out anyways." She breathily laughed.

Lenire groaned, "Don't tell me, she was drinking all night again?"

"I guess people deal with depression in their own ways," Avaleigh shrugged, not paying it much mind.

"Yeah, well you didn't see my mom drinking when Dad died," Lenire pointed out with distaste as they left the school yard. "And your dad isn't even gone, he's just on duty as a Crown City Guard at the Citadel. Won't he be back in a few months?"

Avaleigh solemnly nodded, "Uh, yeah, he'll be home in one-hundred days actually. I'm supposed to video-call him tonight for the occasion."

"Maybe you could do that while you're over," Lenire suggested as they waited at a cross street. "I'd like to say hi to him, too."

Avaleigh quickly perked up, "Sure!"

They continued chatting as they walked, stopping by the local bakery so Avaleigh could buy a raspberry tart.

"I want to compare it to the ones I made yesterday," Avaleigh informed Lenire as she took a bite of the small treat. "This one's a bit sweeter." With a small sigh, she handed it to Lenire, who took another bite out of it.

"That's not really a bad thing though," Lenire reminded her as she finished the treat off, "I prefer them less sweet." When Avaleigh only nodded in response, she asked, "What type of thing are you hoping to bake next?"

Avaleigh mulled it over for a moment before shrugging, "I'll probably keep making these until I get them perfect, but I wouldn't mind figuring out puff pastry. There's a lot of different things I can bake with that. I'll have to see what I can afford to do."

"At least you get an allowance from your dad so you can buy things," Lenire sighed. "Doubt your mom would ever give you anything."

Avaleigh chuckled, "I'd probably just get a part-time job then. That bakery has offered me a position a few times now and if it wasn't for my dad insisting otherwise, I'd have taken it by now."

Lenire only nodded in response as they continued walking. Their conversation reached a somewhat lull as they went past the various neighborhoods until finally reaching Lenire's. It was among single-row apartment homes, each almost identical to the homes beside it. They were modern in look, fitting in with the rest of the city, and were two stories each: the bottom floor completely consisting of a garage and the top floor being the housing. A balcony was along the second floors with a silver railing lining the edge. Lenire's balcony stood out from the rest with vibrant vines and plants hanging off the sides with small buds of yellow flowers speckling the brush. A clean beige color made up a majority of the exterior walls with multi paned windows lining the top floor.

"How are the plants growing?" Avaleigh asked as they approached the apartment, while glancing up at the balcony above.

"Good, thankfully," Lenire told her with a breath of relief as they went up the stairs that led to the black front door. "Some of the vegetables are finally starting to sprout. Should still be a few weeks before we can actually use them though."

"Still though, it's pretty cool you're growing your own food here," she replied, looking back to their level as Lenire pulled out a small key ring from her pocket and unlocked the front door.

"I think so, too," Lenire slightly smiled at the thought. "Beats having to run to the store every other day."

The moment the door was open, a savory welcoming scent wafted outside to them. Avaleigh closed her eyes with a smile as she took it in, before following Lenire inside. As she expected, Lenire's mother, Eliana, was in the kitchen already prepping the various components for supper. Her burgundy hair, matching Lenire's shade perfectly, was pinned up to keep it out of her face as she worked and a simple black apron was tied around her waist. She looked up from chopping up some kettier ginger on a cutting board the moment the door opened and a large smile appeared on her face.

"Avaleigh!" she chimed as she put down her knife and rubbed her hands on her apron before walking over and instantly giving her a short hug. "I was hoping you'd be coming over for dinner tonight."

Avaleigh chuckled and hugged her back. "Of course! I can only go so long without having your cooking."

"Oh please," Eliana waved her off as she playfully rolled her eyes before going over to her daughter and hugging her as well. "Welcome home, sweetie."

"Thanks, Mom," Lenire replied with a warm smile. "Need any help with dinner prep?"

"Not at all," her mother assured her. "You girls go relax for a bit. You can tell me all about your days at dinner."

The girls smiled to each other as they escaped to Lenire's room and filled each other in on everything that had happened that day while they were apart. A couple hours passed in a flash before Eliana called them back for dinner. They ate the filling, delicious meal and Lenire stayed behind afterwards to help her mother with the dishes while they shooed Avaleigh away to rest.

Avaleigh decided to go out to the balcony overlooking the streets outside. She opened the multipaned glass door and walked outside, feeling cooler winds brush into her as the evening was beginning to set. Green vines curled around the black concrete pillars with small flowers blooming beside the leaves. Avaleigh ran her hand softly against one of the petals as she walked past them and approached the set of teakwood chairs that stood around the similarly designed table. She let out a relaxed breath as she sat back in the chair and looked around. Red ivy grew up the walls that led back into the home, but it perfectly framed the doors and windows without impeding on the glass. Potted plants of all different species and colors surrounded the edges of the balcony. The most notable was the kettier ginger; despite still barely sprouting, its distinct smell teased Ava's senses, a scent that always instantly reminded her of Lenire.

After sitting there for a few peaceful moments, she reached into her coat's pocket, pulling out her phone. With a swipe of her thumb, she unlocked the screen and brought up her contacts; smiling when she saw the familiar photo of her dad that she had set as his ID. His green eyes sparkled along with his toothy grin as he purposefully ruffled Avaleigh's hair while they were outside on a summer day. Her eyes faintly saddened as she stared at it, remembering the picture had been taken the week before her father had been drafted into service; to become a full-time guard and live at the Citadel to serve under King Regis. She still remembered the moment she heard the news almost a year ago. Clearing her throat, she shook her head and pressed the call button. As the distinctive ring rang through the air, Avaleigh placed her phone on the table in front of her, propping it at an angle against a polished white vase where a thick succulent fern was planted.

After a couple more rings, the screen flickered before showing an image of her father, grinning ear to ear once he saw Avaleigh's face. His dark brown hair was cleanly cut, barely over a couple inches long, but its color made his green eyes pop in vibrance—a facial feature Avaleigh often wished she had inherited. Freckles covered his strong face, giving him an almost childish look when combined with his toothy smile.

"There you are, Avaberry!" he greeted with his proper-accented voice, immediately causing Avaleigh to laugh.

"Dad, how many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that?" she chuckled, rubbing her hands over her face. "I'm not a kid anymore."

"Ah, you'll always be a little berry in my eyes," he told her, only making her roll her eyes in response. He laughed under his breath and shook his head at his own childishness. Clearing his throat, he looked back up at his daughter and his smile slightly faltered, "I know this is a night we've been looking forward to, but we won't be able to talk for long."

Avaleigh instantly looked up at him with an obvious frown.

"I'm technically still on duty, I got one of the other guards to cover for me so I can call you," he explained.

"I get it," she let out a breath and nodded, but then smiled back at him. "Duty comes first."

"I knew you'd understand, Avaberry," his smile grew, but upon seeing Avaleigh flinch, he quickly covered with a laugh, "Sorry, sorry. Avaleigh."

"So, how's guard life?" she asked him, trying to change the subject.

"Oh you know, pretty standard. Guard one room, then go to another. You wouldn't believe how boring some of the meetings His Royal Majesty attends… And I only have to stand through all of them. I couldn't imagine having to actually act interested like he does." Avaleigh giggled and he asked her, "But what about you? Your first day of second year was today, right?"

Avaleigh's eyes slightly widened as she smiled, "You actually remembered?" She slightly laughed before telling him, "It was alright, actually. I was almost late; I forgot to set my alarm, but thankfully Lenire texted me and woke me up."

"I always knew that redhead would come in handy," he cut in with a joke, causing Avaleigh to laugh. "How's your mum?"

Avaleigh's smile slightly faltered as she opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to find the words.

"Ava?" he asked her with slight reluctant concern.

"She's… managing," she tried to explain as she began absently pulling on one of her stray curls. "She's still depressed a lot, doesn't talk much."

He let out a long sigh as he hung his head and ran his hand over his face. "Sometimes I wish I could come back home for a day every once and awhile."

"But we understand why you can't," she assured him. "At least… I do. You have a really important job to do. Plus, we manage fine on our own."

"You manage fine on your own," her father pointed out. "I've never heard of this side of your mother before. I can barely imagine it."

Avaleigh slightly scoffed, "Yeah, I know what you mean."

The sounds of the balcony door sliding open caught her attention as Lenire walked outside. She smiled up at her friend as she approached.

"Is that the redhead herself?" Avaleigh's father asked, already back to a grin.

"Hello, Mr. Becker," Lenire greeted with a faint smirk as she crossed her arms once she was in front of the phone's camera. "I know I've told you my name is Lenire."

"Yeah, but I also know I've told you to call me Zoll well over a dozen times," he pointed out, "so that makes us even."

Avaleigh snickered as Lenire scoffed.

A knock on a door on Zoll's side of the call caught his attention as his grin immediately vanished. Letting out a breath he informed them, "That's my cue. I better get going."

"Already?" Lenire asked in surprise.

"I get it," Avaleigh told him with a sad smile. "I love you, Dad. Stay safe."

"Love you, too, Avaberry," he replied with a slight smile, chuckling at her look in response. "See you in a hundred days." He looked up and added, "And nice to see you, too, Lenire."

"You too, Mr. Becker," she replied, her smirk growing at his grumbling before he cut the call.

Avaleigh sat back in her seat, letting out a breath, "Well, I'm glad he seems to be doing well."

"You alright?" Lenire asked as she pulled out another chair and sat down across from her friend. Her fingers gently prodded the wood that made up the arm rests, feeling its texture against her fingertips as she looked Avaleigh over.

"Yeah," Avaleigh forced a smile and looked up at Lenire. "I wish we could've talked a bit longer, but I get it." They sat in silence for a few minutes before Avaleigh looked beyond the lush balcony to see the reddened sky as the sun was just beginning to set. Licking her lips before taking in a breath, she informed her friend, "I should probably get going before it gets dark."

"You can stay the night, you know," Lenire reminded her as Avaleigh stood from her seat.

"Nah, probably should at least make sure my mom got some dinner," she replied as she picked up her phone from the table and placed it back in her coat's pocket. "Thanks, though." She sent her a small thankful smile before approaching to the glass paned door to head back inside.

She said her farewells to Eliana and Lenire as she packed her things, then she found herself back outside on the streets. Taking a breath of the fresh evening air, she glanced back at the apartment and noticed Lenire sitting back up at the balcony. A thin string of white lights were among the vines and brush of the balcony, glowing against the dimming daylight. Her eyes met with Lenire's and she raised her hand for a short wave before turning around and heading on her way.

Her stroll was silent, spare for the evening breeze that whistled past her, ruffling the pleats of her skirt and the loose curls in her hair. She passed the empty school; the building almost appeared dreary when devoid of all the students that had just been gathered there that morning. Shortly after the school she reached the grassy park where young couples walked along the winding sidewalks hand in hand; a few of them had stopped at the stone benches sharing an ice cream or another sweet dessert between the two of them.

Avaleigh paid them all little mind as she passed, not wanting to intrude, yet she couldn't help but think back to when her parents used to partake in the same romantic gestures. She would be a small child, running around the playground with little care, only stopping when her tiny lungs had run out of breath. Then she would look back to her parents, seeing her father handing her mother a flower he had found or giving her a peck on the cheek while she blushed. They had been married for years, yet their romance hardly ever wavered. That was, until the news of the draft came.

"Oomph," Avaleigh suddenly breathed out as she ran into a gate.

Shaking her head, she refocused from her daydreams and realized she had returned home. Her hands were wrapped around the black gate that separated her home from the street. Swallowing hard, she pushed the gate open, noticing the overgrown weeds that stuck out in between the cracks of the sidewalk that led up to the worn front door. The single lightbulb that lighted the entry way, flickered in and out of existence, casting a yellow light against the white wood that made up the exterior of the home. Avaleigh reached into her coat pocket and pulled out her house key, putting it into the lock and slowly turning it. Her heart twisted with the door knob, as if her gut knew something was amiss.

Pushing open the door she was met with almost complete darkness, as not a single light in the house was turned on. The flickering light from outside and the setting sun shined in through the doorway, casting Avaleigh's shadow into the kitchen and towards the living room. She stood silently for a moment, trying to adjust her vision and see if she could hear her mother. The only sound that met her senses was a faint moaning and the distinct sound of lips sloppily meeting together.

Her stomach flipped as she stammered, "M-mom?"

There was a sudden gasp and rummaging of clothes before a male's voice spoke up with a hushed angry voice, "Mom?! You have a kid?"

"It's nothing!" Avaleigh heard her mother's quiet slurred voice assure the man. "She won't bother us, I'll just-"

"This is bull shit," the man cut her off with a growl.

Avaleigh stood frozen in shock, her eyes widening as her vision blurred from the tears welling up in them. The back of her throat burned with bile as she realized what was going on, making her sick to the core. She could faintly see a silhouette of a man hurriedly getting up from the couch and he hastened towards her, barely able to make out any features about him, even as he came into the light. She opened her mouth to say something to him, but was cut short when he roughly grabbed her shoulder and threw her aside.

She fell back, her wrist clipping the corner of the kitchen counter and her back falling hard against the stool that was situated beside the kitchen island; her sudden weight snapped the already weak wood, causing her to fall to the tiled floor with small bits of the wood scraping into her skin. She stayed on the floor in a daze with a blank expression, feeling her entire body throb and yell out in pain; yet she could only lie there, trying to gather what was happening.

"Jameson!" her mother exclaimed frantically as she ran to the now empty doorway, paying no mind to Avaleigh on the floor.

Her long golden curls were wildly sprung in every direction and the front of her silk purple blouse was completely unbuttoned, poorly hiding her exposed breasts as she clutched the doorway and called after Jameson. The moment she realized he wasn't coming back, she tightened her hand around the doorway and looked back to Avaleigh with a burning anger in her reddened, glazed eyes. Avaleigh stared back at her, tears finally streaming down her cheeks as reality began to set in.

"How…" Avaleigh began to ask, her voice hoarse and cracking, "How long…?"

Her mother licked her lips, taking away what little red lipstick was still adorning them, and released her hand from the doorframe. Her brown eyes solemnly stared down at the floor as she gently swayed back and forth. Without replying, she turned and slowly walked past Avaleigh, reaching out her hand to the counter and the stools to support herself as she went.

Avaleigh watched her mom go past and bit her lip down hard until she could taste the slightest tinge of blood on her tongue. All at once, her sadness turned into anger. With shaking hands, she pushed herself to stand and spoke up again, "Why? Why would you do this to Dad?" Tears stained her already hard-to-understand voice. "He has done nothing but love you."

Her mother paused her movements and simply replied in a quiet, low voice, "You wouldn't understand."

"I understand perfectly!" Avaleigh yelled, her voice cracking on the last word as she pointed to her own chest. "Do you have any idea what it's like for me to have Dad gone all the time, and then to have you drinking yourself to death to the point I don't even have a mother anymore?"

"Enough, Ava," her mother firmly told her, slightly waving her hand dismissively but still not continuing her movements.

"No, this is beyond depression," Ava continued, the strength in her voice returning as her rage grew in intensity. "This is sick! I understood the drinking, but going and sleeping with other men?! What is wrong-"

"I said, ENOUGH!" her mother cried as she spun around and slapped Avaleigh right across the face, her nails digging into her right cheekbone and slicing three lines to the base of her eye.

Avaleigh stood there, stunned. Her face was turned towards the wall, her cheek stinging in a way she had never fathomed it could. She could feel the warm trickle of blood going down the side of her face, making her want to throw up. Her mother brought her hands to her face and suddenly broke down weeping, falling to her knees as she completely lost herself to her sorrows.

Avaleigh struggled to breath, a lump caught in her throat as more tears poured from her eyes, mixing with the blood on her cheek. Without saying anything, she turned around and numbly left the house, not bothering to close the door behind her. She pushed open the black gate and as it swung open, it let out a high pitched squeak that mixed with the echoes of her mother's sobs—the only sounds bidding Avaleigh farewell as she left.

Her eyes were glued to her feet as she walked, not sure where she was going. Tears blurred her vision as she strove to keep herself under control. The cool evening winds rushed into her, only worsening the sting on her face.

She wasn't sure how long she had been walking, but upon finally looking up, she found herself back at the grassy fields. The couples that had been there only an hour prior had all vacated back to their homes, leaving the entire park desolate. Struggling to take in a breath, Avaleigh stumbled over to it and went over to a lone stone bench, slightly hidden from the view of the road by a hedge wall. Trembling, she slowly sat herself down on the cool surface. Her hands clutched the front edge of the bench as if for dear life and she let out a shaking breath; staring down at the splotches of mud underneath the grass that surrounded her feet.

Finally having a moment to herself, everything came rushing into her mind. Her bottom lip quivered and she tightly closed her eyes, attempting to keep the overflow of tears in. Despite her efforts, a pair of quiet whimpers escaped her lips before erupting into a cry. She released her hold on the bench and buried her face in her hands. Her shoulders shook with each successive sob that wrecked through her body.

As she wept, she could faintly hear a rumbling engine of a car from the other side of the hedge wall before it went silent. It was followed with the distinct sound of a car door opening and closing before a pair of soft footsteps began coming her way.

"Are you alright?" an accented voice spoke out to her from around the corner. "I was driving by with my windows rolled down and heard…" the voice trailed off. Avaleigh swallowed hard and looked up to see the same man she had seen earlier that day in the school yard standing a few feet in front of her. Their eyes met and his mouth was slightly agape with surprise.

Avaleigh's eyes widened as she realized who it was and gasped. She frantically tried to wipe away the remnants of her tears and cleared her throat. "I-" she tried to speak, but it came out as a squeak. Clearing her throat once more, she tried again, "I-I'm fine. Th-thank you."

He stood there, frozen, as his eyes began looking her over, making Avaleigh feel slightly uncomfortable as she sat there in a complete mess. Without saying a word, he turned and walked away, escaping behind the brush once more. Avaleigh let out a breath once he was gone and cursed under her breath.

"Great first impression, Ava…" she scolded herself as she continued wiping away tears.

She heard the car door once again open and close, and waited for the engine to turn on, but it didn't. With a hurried pace, the man returned from around the brush, holding a rectangular white container in his hands with a bright red cross plastered on top of it. He slowed his walk once his eyes yet again met with Avaleigh's and he motioned to the open space on the bench she sat on.

"Would you mind?" he asked her softly.

She lightly bit her lip and shook her head, watching as he immediately went forward and sat down on the other end of the bench, placing the white plastic container between them. He clipped it open, spreading out its contents: a white cloth gauze among a myriad of various pills and rubs for different injuries. Avaleigh glanced between the contents and the man in front of her. His green eyes were slightly narrowed in concentration as he grabbed some cotton balls and began spreading some antibacterial rubs on them.

Taking in a sharp breath, she meekly asked, "Who are you?"

He whipped his attention up to her, his once serious expression changing into a reassuring smile. "Ignis," he told her before adding, "Ignis Scientia."

"What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice still shaking from her tears.

"I could ask you the same question," he countered with a slight smirk as he reached forward for her right hand, ever so gently holding it in his as he rubbed one of the cotton balls over a cut that went across it.

Avaleigh winced from the instant sting as the rub reacted with her exposed wound. She looked down at her hand in his, seeing the once pure white cotton slowly turning red as it soaked up her blood.

Ignis looked her over for a moment, taking note of the cuts along her face and the rest of her body before averting his attention back to her hand. "I was on my way to the market on an errand," he informed her. "My windows were rolled down and I believed I heard someone in need, so I pulled over."

She numbly nodded in response, not completely convinced she wasn't in the middle of a strange dream. She continued lightly chewing on her lip as Ignis pulled away the cotton ball and wrapped a tight bandage around her bruised and cut wrist. His warm hands worked quickly and skillfully as if he had done the sort of thing dozens of times before. Once her hand was bandaged, Ignis gently placed it back down and rummaged through the contents of the bag, readying another cotton ball. Looking back up at her with the newly readied cotton, he reached forward and softly rubbed against the cuts along her face. Avaleigh took in a shaking breath, feeling his hand against her cheek along with the cool sting from the rub. She felt her cheeks warm, her embarrassment pushing through her numbed emotional state. Ignis leaned in a bit closer, his eyes fixated on her injuries. The faintest smell of coffee teased Avaleigh's senses as his face was only inches from hers, a drink she rarely drank, but the scent of it was intoxicating. She forced herself to close her eyes, feeling her stomach flutter with an unfamiliar sensation.

"May I inquire your name?" Ignis' voice brought her out of her thoughts and Avaleigh opened one of her eyes to see him glancing over at her.

She swallowed as she slowly nodded, not intending to throw him off as he tried to place thin white bandage adhesives over the cuts on her face. "I'm…" she spoke up quietly with a barely audible voice, "Avaleigh…" She recalled him telling her his last name as well, and she added, "Avaleigh Becker."

Ignis suddenly paused and shot his eyes to hers as they slightly widened in surprise. Then his lips turned into a slight smile before he went back to placing the last bandage on her cheek. "Would you like me to treat the wounds along your legs as well?" he asked her.

"U-uh, no, that's fine," she quickly stammered, her face deepening in flush, causing her to bite the inside of her cheek. "I'll take care of them later."

"Hmm," he simply replied with a short hum as he began packing up the contents back in his white case. "Is there anywhere I can drive you to?"

"W-what?" she looked up at him in almost shock. "Drive me?" she repeated.

"It's hardly safe for you to be out walking in this state," he told her in a soft but borderline firm tone. "Especially so late in the evening."

Avaleigh's mouth remained open as she looked around, only just then noticing that the sun was almost completely gone. The stars were beginning to appear in the sky, even if their sparkle was slightly warped from the shimmering protective wall that surrounded their city. The few streetlights lining the sidewalks were just flicking on, casting bright yellow light through the dark evening.

"I-I'll be fine," she told him, her voice faltering as if she didn't fully believe her own words. She looked back at him, noticing him staring back at her with a softness in his gaze. "I wouldn't want to intrude," she added, slightly downcasting her eyes as she spoke.

"Think nothing of it," he assured her as he stood from the bench and held out his hand for her. "You wouldn't be intruding in the least." When she only stared at his outstretched hand with uncertainty, he pleaded, "Please, I must insist. I mean you no harm."

She looked up at him, seeing the slight worried frown on his face. Letting out a breath, she nodded and slowly raised her hand towards his, almost gasping when he grasped it and pulled her to her feet in a gentle but quick motion. She almost stumbled as she stood unexpectedly, but Ignis swiftly supported her, placing his case under his arm before putting his free hand against the small of her back.

"Are you alright?" he inquired, his warm breath ruffled her curls beneath him.

"Y-yes," she assured him, keeping her eyes downcast; staring down at his surprisingly polished shoes that stood next to her dirt-encrusted ones. Ignis moved to walk forward, but stopped when Avaleigh held her ground. "W-why are you doing this for me?" she asked him, bringing her gaze up to him. "You barely know me…"

"Do I need a reason?" he asked her in return with a simple smile. He stepped back from her once he realized she could stand on her own and Avaleigh felt his warmth immediately escape her.

She tried to force a smile in return, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Instead she simply nodded as she told him, "Thank you…"

"Of course," his smile grew and he motioned his arm away from the hedges towards where his vehicle was parked. "Shall we then?"

"I just need my…" she turned back towards the bench and her eyes widened as her heart suddenly dropped to the muddy ground. "My… school bag," she finished with a hoarse voice.

"Is something the matter?" Ignis asked her.

"Um," her voice shook as her skin fell pale, "I-I left my… school bag, um… it's back home." Shaking her head, she licked her lips, feeling the sudden rush of overwhelming emotions flooding back into her. "I-I can't go back there," she confessed with a cry in her voice.

"Is that where this happened to you…?" he asked her in a low voice.

Avaleigh nodded without hesitation, trying to hold back the new flow of tears as she clenched her hands into fists, digging her nails into her palm.

"I will get you your bag," he told her with the same tone.

Avaleigh quickly spun around, not hiding the gloss of tears over her eyes. "I could never ask you to do that. I don't even know who you are," she told him with a strained voice. Licking her lips again she shook her head and said, "I-I'll just have to go back."

"Out of the question," he adamantly told her. "I will retrieve your bag. Do you have a safe place to stay once it is back in your possession?"

She thought about it for a moment, trying to get her reeling thoughts under control. Tightly closing her eyes, she quickly nodded. "Y-yes, I was headed to my friend's house. But-"

"Then let us be quick," he interrupted her as he once again motioned his arm towards the car, this time Avaleigh slowly complied.

She dragged her feet as she walked beside him, the lump once again forming in her throat as her stomach churned, making her sick. She numbly watched Ignis rush to the passenger side of his car; it was the same vehicle she had seen him driving earlier that day. It was a polished black car with tinted windows and a silver trim. Avaleigh looked it over, knowing that she was barely going to remember what it looked like, but shortly thought of how excited Lenire would be if she could see it. The thought lifted the nausea a small amount as she walked over to Ignis and he opened the door for her, revealing the fancy leather seating inside. She paused as she scanned the interior.

"I-I can't sit there," she told him with a voice barely over a whisper as she brought her eyes to his. "Isn't this the car you drive Prince Noctis around in? I don't want to get it dirty."

Ignis smiled from her words, brimming on the edge of slightly chuckling before telling her, "Think nothing of it. I personally clean the interior everyday. You won't be any trouble."

He held out his hand for her. She hesitantly took it and he helped her into the car before he closed the door and walked around to the driver's side. Avaleigh made sure to put on her seatbelt before anything else. As it clicked, she looked around; everything was finely polished and appeared to be brand new, even though she was certain it wasn't. A clean pine scent wafted through the car, giving Avaleigh a small sense of peace as she took a deep breath of it and shortly closed her eyes. The driver's door opened and Ignis swiftly got in, swaying the car from his weight. Avaleigh's heart jumped as she heard the door close again and she opened her eyes, shyly looking over at him beside her and seeing him pulling on a pair of black leather driving gloves before reaching into his vest pocket. He noticed her stare and met his eyes with hers, giving her a reassuring smile as he pulled out a silver key and put it into the ignition, roaring the car to life.

"Now," he spoke over the rumbling engine, "Where should I be headed?"

Avaleigh slowly took in a long breath, trying to calm her nerves before directing him where to drive. She kept her eyes glued to her hands fiddling in her lap while nervously chewing on her lip, only glancing up when Ignis inquired about the directions. Her heart felt like it was beating faster the closer they got back to her home and her breathing began to get shallow.

"Everything will be fine," Ignis assured her, obviously noticing her discomfort. "You needn't worry."

She looked over at him, seeing his eyes focused on the dark roads. Despite being in a vehicle with a complete stranger, she felt remarkably safe. Stopping at a red light, he took a moment to avert his gaze from the road and caught her staring at him. She quickly looked away before their eyes could meet, making him slightly smile.

"This next turn is my neighborhood," she informed him as the light turned green and he continued driving forward.

Ignis' smile quickly went away as he only nodded in response. Following her instructions, he made the next turn and entered a surprisingly rundown neighborhood. The homes were of a lesser quality than the rest of the city Ignis was used to seeing. The dark night made it difficult to make out details of the homes, spare for the illumination provided by the porch lights lit by every front door. Rather than slick designs, the homes were made of wood paneling that were, more often than not, chipped and warped from the original strong wood it no doubt was in its prime. Ignis barely glanced over at Avaleigh, noticing her tightly clutching her hands together in her lap and chewing on her bottom lip.

"R-right here," she stuttered with a whisper and Ignis slowed the car to a stop.

He put the vehicle in park and leaned over, peering through Avaleigh's car side window to see her home. Faintly in the dark, he could see a black gate swinging back and forth from the cool winds, leading up to a wide open front door beside a flickering porch light. His hands tightened around the steering wheel as he averted his gaze to Ava, her skin noticeably paled.

Looking back to the front door, he removed the key from the ignition and placed it back in his vest pocket. "I will return shortly," he told Avaleigh as he opened his door. "Remain here until I return."

"W-wait, you can't-" she began to tell him, but was cut off when he shut the car door.

Ignis readjusted his neck before walking towards the house. He passed the gate, taking note of the overgrown weeds protruding from the cracks of the sidewalk. As he walked up the front steps, he could hear the muffled sounds of crying coming from inside. He glanced back at Avaleigh safely in the car, but was unable to see her through the night and the tinted windows. Regardless, he sent her a reassuring smile, certain she was watching him from her seat before he entered the household.

Before he could make out anything in the dark home, he was instantly met with the overwhelming stench of alcohol, causing him to shortly bring his hand to his nose before becoming accustomed to it. He stepped forward, his foot causing something to crunch beneath it and he looked down. From the porch light coming in through the doorway, he was able to see shattered pieces of wood scattered across the tiled floor, along with a few smears of blood. He clenched his hands into fists and looked up, his eyesight beginning to adjust to his surroundings.

At the kitchen island, he immediately spotted whom he assumed to be Avaleigh's mother. She was leaned forward on the counter, face down, with a glass of some alcoholic beverage loosely in her hand that sloshed with every shaking sob she let out.

Ignis wished to say something to her, but refrained as he looked back to the floor and spotted a leather bag leaned against the bottom of the counter. Without hesitation, he reached down and grabbed it off the floor, dusting off any small wooden pieces that had gotten stuck to it.

"W-who are you?" a tear filled voice asked him, causing him to look up to see Avaleigh's mother staring at him with glossy eyes.

The light from outside barely showed any details of her face, but Ignis could see the slight reflections in the many tears sliding down her cheeks.

"I'm here for Avaleigh's things," he told her curtly yet professionally, tucking the bag under his arm.

"You know my Ava?" she asked him with a small hiccup on the end. "P-please, where is she? I-I didn't mean to hit-" her voice faltered and she placed her hand over her face. "I-I just want her home."

"If you truly wish for her to return I might suggest staving off the alcohol usage and being the mother she deserves," he bluntly replied as he neatly pushed up his glasses with his middle finger. She only stared back at him with widened stunned eyes, so he asked, "May I inquire where her room is?"

With her drink still in hand, she shakily pointed down the hall. "...First door on the left…"

Giving a faint smirk, he nodded his head in thanks and followed her instruction. He stepped over the broken pieces of wood, barely giving Avaleigh's mother a glance as he passed her. He went down the dreary hall, turning towards the first door on his left and turning the knob. He felt the slightest hint of nervousness flutter through him as he entered.

He flicked on the lightswitch, lighting a blue tinted paper lamp on a wooden table that was beside an unmade bed. Framed photographs were hung on the wall, showing Avaleigh with various people. Ignis glanced over at them as he fully entered the room, the corner of his lips faintly turning upwards when he saw Avaleigh's bright smile in one of the pictures. She appeared to be outside, her wild curls free as they blowed in the wind, sitting beside a man Ignis recognized as her father. He walked over to the picture and grabbed it off the wall, sliding it into Avaleigh's school bag before moving onto the blue painted dresser.

Various trinkets were scattered across the top of the dresser: a couple stuffed animals, whose cotton fur were rough from obvious years of use, and a small green journal that caught Ignis' attention. Not daring to intrude and look inside it, he grabbed it and slid it into the bag before pulling open the drawers of the dresser. He wasn't sure about what clothes she would prefer to wear and snooping through her drawers brought an uncomfortable flush to his cheeks, which he was not accustomed to. Regardless, he grabbed what he could, carefully placing the articles of clothing inside the already overflowing school bag. Giving one more once-over of the room, he turned to leave, but stopped short. Letting out a small breath, he walked back to the dresser and quickly grabbed one of the stuffed animals: a plush yellow chocobo with tiny black beaded eyes that were worn and scratched, one on each side above a orange beak that was made of the same soft material as the body. Something about it made Ignis feel as if it was dearly treasured and would provide some form of comfort to her.

With the plush precariously balanced on the top of the overstuffed bag, he left the room, making sure to turn off the light before closing the door behind him. He came back out to the kitchen, seeing Avaleigh's mother still sitting in the stool at the island, her eyes glued to the counter. Her sobs had ceased and were replaced with complete silence. Ignis paid her little mind as he once again stepped over the broken pieces of wood scattered on the floor. As he approached the front door, he spotted a neat pile of raspberry tarts plated on the counter, further down from where Avaleigh's mother was seated.

He paused and blinked for a moment as he looked them over. "Did Avaleigh make these?" he inquired.

Avaleigh's mother slowly brought her eyes up to him before following his gaze to the tarts. With a short nod, she replied a simple, "Yes… At least I'll have these to remember-"

A slight smirk perked the corner of Ignis' mouth as he went forward and grabbed the entire plate of the tarts, making Avaleigh's mother stop short as she shot her eyes up to him in stunned surprise.

He simply gave her a small nod farewell before turning and leaving the home entirely, smiling in an almost proud way as he closed the front door and sauntered back to the car. As he neared the driveway, Avaleigh quickly opened her door and was about to hop out to help him, but was stopped when Ignis leaned over and handed her the plate of tarts. She stared down at them in confusion, unsure of what to say as Ignis closed her door and reopened the one in the back, packing her bag inside. As he came around to the driver's side and got into the car, Avaleigh looked over at him, noticing the obvious smirk on his face.

He pulled out the car key from his vest pocket and started the vehicle's ignition as he explained, "I gathered as much as I could carry. I apologize if it is not sufficient."

"I-it's fine," she assured him, looking down to the tarts in her hands before turning to look at her bag in the back, taking notice of her stuffed chocobo that her father had given her when she was just a girl. She turned around and leaned back in her chair, feeling a wave of relief going through her as she realized she wouldn't have to confront her mother.

"Was she there?" she asked him, hoping he would know who she was referring to.

"Indeed," he replied, his hands slightly tightening around the steering wheel as he drove out of the neighborhood.

"Was… she alright?" she asked, noticing the surprised glance he sent her before averting his eyes back to the road.

"She was," he simply informed her. "She wishes you to know she is sorry for her actions."

Avaleigh silently nodded in response. "Thank you…" she told him after a couple of silent minutes.

"Of course," he smiled before inquiring. "Whose home will I be escorting you to next?"

"Oh," she looked out the windshield, noticing they were on their way back to the grassy park. "My friend, Lenire's."

"Hmm," he softly hummed, "Lenire Vesperis, I presume?" Avaleigh whipped her attention to him with her mouth slightly agape. With a slight chuckle, he explained, "Prompto spoke of her when I picked him and His Highness up from your school today."

A faint smile broke on Avaleigh's face. "He did?" she asked him. "Leni's gonna love that."

Ignis' smile grew before he asked, "Where exactly is this home?"

"Oh, right," she remembered. "She's a few minutes down from Crown City High School."

"I will head there then," he nodded as they stopped at a red light. He took the moment to look over at her, once again noticing the plate of tarts in her hands. "Do you cook often?"

With a slight breathy chuckle, she admitted, "I'm not much of a cook; baking is really what I focus on. I've been trying to recreate the raspberry tarts that are at a bakery by the school." When Ignis only nodded in response, she asked. "Why did you grab them? Like, did she ask you to take them?"

"Not at all," he shook his head as he began driving again once the light turned back to green. "I know how much effort must be put into baked goods such as the ones there. I simply believed you deserved to enjoy the fruits of your labor."

She stared at him for a moment, a smile growing on her lips before she looked down at the tarts. "I… appreciate it," she admitted with a bit of flush going through her cheeks.

Their conversation fell to a lull, yet it was obvious both of them had things they wished to ask. Avaleigh would only speak up to give him directions of where to turn next until they reached Lenire's neighborhood. The stars and moon were fully out as they pulled up to the driveway and it was well past ten at night, causing most of the lights in the apartments to be dimmed and shut off, yet the string of white lights in Lenire's balcony still glowed vibrantly, causing Avaleigh to feel a bit of warmth in her heart.

Ignis put the car into park once it reached a full stop and took off his leather driving gloves while he spoke up. "It seems we have arrived. Does Lenire know you are coming?"

"Uh-no," she confessed, "But, she's told me before that I can come over any time if I need to, so they shouldn't mind."

"That is reassuring to hear," he smiled, about to get out of the car to help her with her things.

"W-wait, Ignis," she stammered nervously, making him pause and look at her. Letting out a breath, she felt the heat welled up in her cheeks as she asked. "Before I go, I really want to know something."

"What is it?" he asked.

She forced her gaze up to him, "Why did you do all this for me? You gave up your entire night to help a complete stranger run away from home. And… I know you said you didn't need a reason, but if you do have one… I really want to know what it is."

Ignis leaned back in his seat and scanned his eyes over the various details around the car's dashboard before he confessed, "I know your father."

Her eyes slightly widened. "Y-you do?"

He nodded. "Zoll Becker, a Crownsguard under King Regis, stationed at the Citadel," he looked over at her, seeing a smile growing on her face. "I will admit that I have never met him on a personal level, but I have crossed paths with him many times at the Citadel. He rarely speaks of anything but his prized daughter to anyone who will listen; I have no doubt even King Regis has heard of you."

Avaleigh smirked and shook her head before cutting in, "So, you helped me because of my dad?"

He slightly smiled as he nodded, "In short, yes."

"Wow…" she breathed as she leaned back in her seat, a fanciful smile on her face. Ignis examined her smile for a moment before it disappeared. She lightly bit her lip as her eyes downcast. "Um… don't tell my dad about what happened. It's something best heard from me."

Ignis slightly frowned but nodded, "As you wish. I will stay out of the situation."

"Thank you," she glanced up at him, giving him a smile, "for everything. I…" she averted her eyes as she shook her head, "don't know what I would have done if you didn't show up."

"Then it is rather favorable that I did," he pointed out, making her smirk. Clearing his throat he asked, "Not to sound odd, but may I have your cellular device?"

She arched an eyebrow at his question, but reached into her coat pocket, pulling out her phone and handing it to him. Ignis smiled at the small cupcake charm and was surprised when he could easily unlock the phone with a simple upward swipe.

"You have no password on here?" he asked her as he navigated to her contacts.

She licked her lips before chuckling awkwardly, "I'm… really bad at remembering things like that. I would get myself locked out of my phone every other day, so I ended up just taking the password off." She shrugged, "I mean, I could put it as my birthday, but that would be a little too obvious, wouldn't it?"

"Hmm…" he simply hummed in response as he handed her phone back to her. "I put my number in your contacts. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, I would like to stay in contact with you to check in and be there in case you need anything in the future."

Avaleigh's cheeks flushed as she took the phone back, feeling her heart flutter once again as their hands brushed. She looked up at him with a smile and nodded, "I'd like that."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
Friday, September 12, 754 M.E.

 

Soft breeze swayed the vibrant blades of grass spread across the field and rustled through the bushels of fall-colored leaves covering the branches of the tall trees scattered throughout the serene area. Avaleigh sat with her back against one of the trunks, feeling the wind brush past her as she closed her eyes in silent enjoyment. A quilted blanket was spread under her, keeping her school uniform from touching the dirt, and beside her was an opened tin box showcasing a neatly organized array of food. She sat there patiently, without touching the food as if awaiting someone. Opening her eyes, she brought her gaze to the school building that stood at the edge of the field she rested in. Through the vast windows she could see the students inside the building, sitting at their desks while they ate their lunches and cheerily talked with each other. As she watched them, she felt a small sense of loneliness trickle into her.

“I wonder what’s keeping Lenire?” she asked aloud to no one in particular. “She isn’t usually late like this for our lunches…”

Letting out a wistful sigh, she reached into her coat pocket and pulled out her cellphone. Unlocking the screen, she was met with an ongoing text conversation between her and Ignis. The sight brought a smile to her face and a slight flutter in her heart as she began reading through their messages. Two weeks had gone by since they had first met. Only a few hours after Ignis had dropped her off at Lenire’s that night, she had sent him the first text, thanking him for everything. He had replied within minutes and they had been talking ever since. 

As she scrolled through their messages, a cheery chime erupted from her phone, sliding the conversation she was scanning to a brand new message. An instant grin appeared on her face as she read Ignis’ message.

_How are you faring?_

With a slight blush on her cheeks, she quickly replied,

_Good morning to you too. ;) I’m uh, ‘faring’ pretty well I guess. I’m waiting for Lenire to come out to lunch._

Lightly chewing on her bottom lip, she sent the message and put the phone down on her lap as she looked back up to see Lenire walking towards her with an almost annoyed expression, but with two familiar faces trailing not far behind her. 

“Hey, Avaleigh!” Prompto greeted as he jogged in front of Lenire. He gave her a large toothy grin and put his hand out for a small wave. 

“So you’re the reason Lenire runs off at lunchtime,” Prince Noctis spoke up with his cool toned voice as he walked up with Lenire.

“H-hey!” she greeted them with a bit of a laugh before looking up at Lenire as she approached.

“They followed me,” Lenire informed her with a bit of a sigh as she moved to sit down on the blanket, situating her feet under her and placing a blue rectangular tin box decorated with a simple floral pattern beside her.

“That’s fine,” Avaleigh smiled as she assured them, watching as both Noctis and Prompto sat down on the large blanket with them.

Noctis leaned back on his hands, staring up at the leaves above them and Avaleigh glanced over at him. Lenire had properly introduced her to him and Prompto after the second day of school. He wasn’t anything like Avaleigh had expected him to be. Instead he was cool, collected, and had an air about him that seemed to exude nonchalance, nothing like what would be expected in a Crown City Prince. 

Another chime from her phone, grabbed her attention as the group began to chat. She quickly grabbed her phone and looked at the screen, seeing Ignis’ reply.

_I see. Well I hope she comes out soon. You should tell her to bring out Prompto and Noct sometime. They could certainly use your company._

She chuckled from his words, not noticing that her sudden laughter caught the other's’ attention as she typed her reply.

_Oddly enough, they came out with her today. Haha! That’s why she was late._

“Who’re you talking to?” Prompto’s voice caused her to look up to see everyone staring at her. 

She namely noticed Lenire’s slight smirk, who completely knew the answer to Prompto’s question. Avaleigh’s cheeks dusted a light rose as she stammered a bit awkwardly, “Oh-uh, Ignis, actually.”

Noctis let out a short scoff mixed with a breathy laugh, “You guys still talking?”

She nervously laughed in return and admitted, “Eh, yeah. A little bit.” She looked over to Lenire, her smirk had only grown as Ava’s cheeks darkened.

“Oh!” Prompto excitedly spoke up as he reached over to Noctis’ leather bag. He pulled it open without prior request and as he rummaged through it, he continued, “Speaking of Iggy--”

“Iggy?” Lenire repeated with a short chuckle. 

“It’s our nickname for him,” Noctis shrugged, “That or specs.”

Avaleigh smirked, filing those names away for future use as Prompto suddenly held out a custard like tart for her to see. She looked it over with a bit of confusion. The crust around the circular treat was a perfect golden brown with a white creamy filling in the center that had a pristine shine. 

“You have to try these!” Prompto ordered her, “Iggy made them.”

She took it from him, examining it like it was a strange specimen as she rotated it in her hand. “He did?” she asked, before taking a small bite out of it. Her eyes widened the moment the creamy sweet filling touched her taste buds along with the crumbly buttery crust and a surprising tart flavor. She pulled it away from her mouth for a moment and stared at it, noticing a red fruit-like filling in the center. Putting it down beside her and picking up her phone, she instantly texted Ignis.

_Ok… you need to give me the recipe for that amazing thing you made for Noctis._

As she sent it, she looked back up at the others, realizing that Prompto was talking, going on about random things, already moved on from the special treat he had shared with her. 

She glanced over at Noctis, who was boredly listening to Prompto’s speech, but he caught her gaze and looked over at her with a small smirk.

“Does Ignis make those things a lot?” she asked him.

He shrugged, “Maybe once a week or something, I don’t really pay attention.”

“Once a week?” she repeated, “Why does he make them so often?”

He let out a sigh and told her, “He’s trying to recreate some dessert I had when I was in Tenebrae. Hasn’t been able to get it right though.”

“Hmm…” she lightly hummed in response, as she picked the small delicious treat back up and took another bite. “Do you know what it’s made of?” she asked him with her mouth slightly full.

“Not really,” he shrugged, already turning his attention back to Prompto as him and Lenire were having their own separate conversation. “He makes it differently every time.”

Avaleigh frowned, but quickly perked up when she heard the familiar chime from her phone. She picked it up and scowled from the response.

_A chef never reveals secret recipes. ;)_

With a bit of grumbling under her breath, she replied.

_What?! Rude! Can’t you give me a hint at least?_

She sent it and placed her phone back down before taking another bite of the treat, trying to decipher its flavors. The crust itself was easy enough to make out the recipe, it seemed to be made with common enough ingredients to create a crumbly shortbread, yet the filling proved to be tougher to make out as everything seemed to mix together so perfectly.

With a small chime, she looked back at her phone to see his reply.

_I suppose I can give you a few if you are able to decipher, at the very least, one of the ingredients yourself._

Another text popped up beneath it,

_However, I will discuss it further with you at a later time. I do not want to intrude on your lunch. Until that time, I will bid you farewell._

She smirked at his wording, despite feeling a bit saddened that he was ending the conversation. Letting out a small sigh, she navigated her phone to the camera and picked up the small treat in her free hand before snapping a picture of it for documentation. Then she finally put away her phone and enjoyed the rest of the treat, half-listening to the conversation of the others as she mentally tried to decipher the separate flavors of the desert.

Before long the school bell rang out, alerting them that they needed to head back to class. Noctis and Prompto helped the girls pack everything up before heading back to class with Lenire. Avaleigh neatly tucked the blanket into her school bag, making it bulge out considerably, before slinging the bag’s strap over her shoulder and walking towards her class. The rest of the school day passed quickly as Avaleigh was lost in her daydreams and diligently took notes on what ingredients she had decided were in the desert. By the time the final school bell rang out, she had realized that she hadn’t heard a single word from that day’s lectures. 

Letting out a breath, she looked up at the blackboard in the front of the classroom, seeing the long list of assignments she was expected to complete over the weekend. She jotted the list down in her school notebook before closing it and packing her things back into her school bag. Just as she was standing from her seat, Lenire came into her classroom, with Prompto and Noctis not far behind.

“So this is where Leni runs to after class!” Prompto motioned towards Ava as he walked in with Noctis. “To Avaleigh, I should have expected.”

“I don’t get to see her during class,” Lenire defended, crossing her arms as she came to a stop in front of Avaleigh’s desk. “So of course I’m going to see her as soon as I can.”

Avaleigh chuckled, “Hello again.” Slinging her school bag over her shoulder she asked, “How was class today?”

“Don’t really remember,” Noctis shrugged as they all turned around and left the room together. 

“That’s because you slept through most of it,” Lenire remarked, giving him a slight nudge with her elbow.

Noctis scoffed, but didn’t reply as they continued to walk. 

Prompto ran ahead and pulled open the large glass door that led to the outside courtyard. “How ‘bout you, Ava? How were your classes?”

Avaleigh thought about it for a moment as they came outside. She squinted from the sudden sunlight and admitted, “I don’t really remember either.”

Lenire sighed, “Lost in daydreams again?” Rolling her eyes when Avaleigh only sheepishly grinned in response.

“What do you guys have planned for the weekend?” Prompto asked as he caught up with the rest of them once he released the door.

Lenire and Avaleigh exchanged glances, seemingly asking each other the same question.

“I don’t think we have any plans,” Avaleigh told him. “I’ll probably try to recreate that thing Ignis made.”

Prompto stepped in front of her and Lenire, making them stop. “Promise to bring them on Monday. We’ll do a taste test to see whose is better! Right, Noct?” He grinned over at his friend.

Noctis slightly smirked, “Sure, why not? I’ll tell Specs to make some more this weekend, too, so we can try them side by side.”

“What?” Avaleigh’s cheeks flushed as she nervously laughed, “It will be my first time making them! There’s no way they’ll be as good as his right off the bat.”

“Never know unless you try!” Prompto pointed out with a cheeky grin.

“I guess,” she replied with her eyes averted while pulling on one of her curls.

“Well, we’ll see you around,” Noctis’ voice caught Avaleigh’s attention and as she looked up, she saw him and Prompto sending them a wave before they turned around and headed to the street where Ignis was awaiting them beside the royal car.

Avaleigh instantly smiled when she saw Ignis and waved towards him. He caught her gaze and smiled back, lifting his hand in greeting before he opened the backseat door for the Prince and Prompto. Noctis seemed to say something to Ignis, but neither Avaleigh or Lenire could hear or understand what he was saying. Ignis’ eyes slightly widened from Noctis’ words but then his smile grew as he looked back to Avaleigh. He closed the car door once the others were safe inside, then he straightened his navy blue tie before walking towards the girls.

“He’s coming over here,” Avaleigh whispered to Lenire as she pulled at the bottom of her jacket and fluffed her hair. 

“Sure looks like it,” Lenire smirked.

“H-hey Ignis,” Avaleigh greeted with a nervous smile as she kept moving her arms, as if trying to figure out a comfortable way to position them. Eventually she settled with keeping her hands tightly clasped in front of her. “Fancy seeing you here.” Her eyes closed the moment the sentence left her mouth and a blush crept on her cheeks while she inwardly groaned. 

Ignis lifted his hand to his mouth, letting out a short almost unnoticeable breathy laugh before clearing his throat. “It is nice to see you, Avaleigh.” He looked beside her, “You as well, Lenire.”

“Ignis,” Lenire nodded towards him with a small smile. “How are you doing?”

“Very well, thank you,” he smiled and looked back to Avaleigh, who had opened her eyes again. “I wanted to see if you could verify one of the ingredients.”

“Oh,” Avaleigh opened her school bag and pulled out a small green journal, the same one Ignis had grabbed for her when he was packing her things at her mother’s home. 

Opening it, she flipped through a few of the pages before landing on one in specific. Ignis glanced over and noticed a pencil sketch of the desert he had made for Prince Noctis the night before. His smile grew considerably as he recognized it.

“I figured out a few of the easy ingredients,” Avaleigh told him, her attention fixated on the notes in her journal. “Like the butter and eggs for the shortbread crust. But one of the interesting things I noticed was a slight citrus tang in the fruit filling.”

Ignis’ eyes slightly widened as he averted his gaze from the journal to her face. “Did you?” he asked in light surprise.

“Yeah,” she looked back up at him, their eyes meeting. She felt her heart jump to her throat the moment she made eye-contact and she quickly averted back to her journal. “U-um, I was thinking you must have added some Duscaen orange juice to combat the sweetness of the berries in the filling.” When Ignis didn’t reply right away, she forced her gaze back up to him, seeing him staring at her with a sweet smile, causing her cheeks to flush. “Am I right?” she asked him with a quiet voice.

“That’s outstanding, actually,” he admitted with a short chuckle. “Yes, I added the juice of a single Duscaen orange to the filling and the zest to the custard.”

Avaleigh’s eyes lit up as she chimed, “I didn’t pick up on the zest!” She grabbed a pencil from her bag and quickly jotted it down. “My first hint.” 

“Indeed,” he replied with a smile apparent in his voice. “Do you intend to attempt recreating the desert this weekend?”

“If I can get a good enough recipe made up, I was hoping to try,” she replied as she read over her other guessed ingredients.

“Prompto and Noctis want to try having a taste test comparison on Monday,” Lenire added with a smirk.

“I doubt I’ll have any good enough for them to try,” Avaleigh admitted, keeping her eyes fixated on her journal. 

“Well, if your raspberry tarts are any indication of your skill, I imagine you are selling yourself short,” he commented before adding, “Feel free to contact me when you are baking, I would be more than happy to help with measurements and the like.”

Avaleigh looked up from her journal in surprise, shyly smiling when her eyes met with his. “I’d like that,” she replied with a soft voice.

Ignis opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by a loud car horn that blared through the air, catching the attention of every person remaining in the school courtyard. Letting out the faintest sigh, Ignis looked behind him to see Prompto leaning forward from the back seat of the car to the driver’s seat, pressing down on the center of the steering wheel with a childish grin while Noctis had the car window rolled down, waving nonchalantly at them as the honking ceased. 

“Mature as ever…” Lenire chided under her breath, rubbing the bridge of her nose. “I’ll go tell them to knock it off.”

“No need,” Ignis assured her, “It is time I take my leave.” He shortly bowed, “I bid you both farewell, have a lovely evening.” As he stood back up straight, he sent Avaleigh a small yet sweet smile before turning to leave.

Once he was out of earshot, Avaleigh let out a long wistful breath, allowing her tense shoulders to drop with relief. “Why do I get so nervous around him?”

Lenire suddenly laughed, “I can think of a few reasons.” She sent Avaleigh a smirk as she turned and began leading the way out of the courtyard.

“W-what are you talking about?” Ava stammered as she scurried after Lenire. As she reached her side, she began pulling on a stray curl and asked softly, “Is it that obvious?”

“Just a bit.” Lenire nudged her friend with her shoulder before adding, “But I think it’s sweet. Plus it’s pretty evident he feels the same way.”

“Whatever,” Avaleigh shook her head dismissively as a soft blush appeared on her cheeks.

“Not whatever,” she rolled her eyes. “Have you seen the way he looks at you? It’s like the world isn’t even around when you two are talking.”

“We barely know each other,” Ava pointed out, keeping her eyes down casted as they walked. “He’s just being polite since he knows my dad.”

Lenire scoffed, “Keep telling yourself that. But I know he likes you back.”

Ava silently smiled and turned her attention to the road they were taking while letting out another wistful sigh. The leaves on the trees around them were just beginning to change their hue to deep reds and oranges, falling ever so often in their path. She caught one as they walked and examined it as she confessed, “I don’t really know how I feel about him.”

“Really?” Lenire glanced over at her.

“It’s not like I’ve ever been in a relationship before, let alone had a crush,” she licked her lips as she dropped the leaf, allowing it to flutter to the ground. “I don’t even know what this sort of thing is supposed to feel like, and what I come off as some crazy, obsessive freak that wants to talk to him everyday?”

Lenire breathily laughed, “You shouldn’t worry about it so much. Just act like yourself around him and if things are supposed to work out, they will.” She looked over at her friend, seeing her eyes down casted and a small frown on her face. “Alright?”

“Yeah…” Ava quietly replied, thinking it over. Taking in a long breath, she looked back up, “You’re right. We’ve only known each other for a couple weeks, no need to worry so much.”

“Exactly,” Lenire smirked, making Ava smile back at her.

“So,” Avaleigh put a skip back in her step and changed the subject, “how was your day today?”

Lenire’s smirk slightly faltered as she looked away, making Avaleigh frown.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?” she asked Lenire.

“Sort of,” Lenire sighed heavily before explaining, “I ran into Bronson on the way to meeting you at lunch… That’s why I was late.”

“Bronson…?” Avaleigh instantly scowled, feeling sick to her stomach just at the mention of the name. “What did that idiot want?”

Lenire scoffed bitterly, “He wanted to know why I skipped out in the middle of our so-called date last summer.”

“Seriously?” Avaleigh shook her head and rolled her eyes. “What sort of answer is he expecting? Is he seriously so messed up that getting punched for trying to force himself on a girl isn’t a clear sign that they aren’t interested?” She clenched her hands at her sides. “Oh, just thinking about it makes me angry!” She suddenly stopped walking, making Lenire look back at her. “Wait, so what happened? He didn’t try anything, did he?”

She scoffed and crossed her arms. “He certainly tried, but, uh, Prompto and Noctis stepped in and put Bronson in his place.” A faint smile twitched at the corners of her mouth as she recalled it.

“They did?” Avaleigh asked in surprise, a smile growing. “Wow, that’s great!” She suddenly laughed as she began walking again. “Man, I wish I could have seen the look on that idiot’s face when the Prince told him to back off!”

Lenire chuckled along with her. “Yeah, it was pretty priceless. I don’t think I’ll be hearing from that creep again.”

“That’s a relief,” Ava admitted as they turned into Lenire’s neighborhood. “I’m really glad they were there with you.... I’m sorry I wasn’t.”

“That’s not your fault,” Lenire assured her. “I know you would have told him off if you were.”

Ava laughed, “Oooh, you have no idea.”

Lenire smirked in response and their conversation reached a lull until they reached Lenire’s home. As she unlocked the front door, she asked, “So what flavor of tea do you want today?” she glanced back at Ava as she opened the door.

“Hmm…” she hummed as she thought it over. “Have any fruit flavored ones today?”

“I have this peach one I’ve been meaning to try,” Lenire suggested once they were both inside and she shut the front door behind them.

“Ooh, perfect!” Avaleigh chimed as she took off her shoes and placed her school bag on the floor beside them. “Do you want any help brewing it?”

Lenire waved her off, “Of course not! Go ahead to the balcony. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“If you insist,” Ava smiled.

“Welcome back girls!” Eliana greeted as she came out of her bedroom, pinning up her hair as she walked over to give her daughter a hug and talk with her about her day.

“Hey Eliana,” Avaleigh greeted in return with a small wave before turning away and walking to the balcony, to await Lenire for their daily tradition of drinking tea together after returning home from school.

As she pulled open the glass paned door, she was met with an instant brisk breeze that made her shiver. She came out and closed the door behind her, taking in a deep breath of the fresh scents from the myriad of plants as she sat down in a seat. Leaning back in her chair, she let out her breath and looked over the balcony railing, absently watching cars drive past while young children played along the sidewalks, celebrating the weekend. She slightly smiled at the sight, and allowed her thoughts to wander. 

Her thoughts naturally went to Ignis, as they had been since the night she met him, but this time they drifted to their first meeting. She swallowed hard as she recalled the situation of him finding her crying all alone in the park. It had been two weeks since she had seen, let alone spoken, to her mother. She had been literally hiding away at Lenire’s home, lying to herself that anything was amiss; yet in times of solitude, the emotions often came knocking at her door to remind her they were still there. Ever since spilling everything that had happened to Lenire the night she arrived after Ignis had safely dropped her off, she had refused to speak of it again. Lenire had yet to bring it up, knowing Avaleigh would open up when she was ready, yet Avaleigh was beginning to reach her boiling point. 

The sound of the door opening, brought Avaleigh out of her thoughts, and she looked over to see Lenire coming outside with teacups and a steaming iron kettle. Avaleigh stood up and helped her carry everything to the table and once she was seated again, she held her cup as Lenire poured her some tea.

Avaleigh stared down at the steaming translucent liquid, feeling its heat across her freckled cheeks and smelling the faint sweet peach scent that teased her senses. She licked her lips and took a small sip, feeling its warmth spread through her chilled body as she looked up to Lenire, who silently enjoyed her cup across from her. 

“Can I… ask you something?” Avaleigh slowly spoke up with a soft voice, averting her eyes when Lenire met her gaze.

“Of course,” Lenire replied, an evident amount of concern laced in her tone. “What is it?”

“How long should I stay here?” Avaleigh asked, fixating her eyes on the leaves of the red ivy climbing up the walls. “Shouldn’t I be heading home soon? I can’t stay here forever…”

Lenire was silent for a beat, blinking at her friend’s bluntness. “Um… I don’t think you should be heading back home anytime soon. Especially not after what happened. You can stay here as long as you want, you know that.”

“But we both know I can’t stay here forever,” she repeated, forcing herself to look back to Lenire. “I need to figure out something to do.”

“You… aren’t planning on telling your dad about it, are you?” Lenire asked cautiously.

Avaleigh shook her head, “No… I mean, I thought about it… a lot, especially right after it happened, but…” She took another sip of her tea and savored it as she thought over her next words. “My dad has always put his duty before anything else. He talked about it all the time when I was growing up… every person has something that they need to do in their lives, a purpose, and… I know that being a Crownsguard is his duty, but… If I tell him about what happened with Mom, he wouldn’t hesitate; he’d be back home that night and abandon everything he’s doing at the Citadel, because--”

“His duty to you is above his duty as a Crownsguard,” Lenire finished for her, lightly running her finger along the rim of her cup. “I know… That’s why I don’t think you should tell him either…”

Avaleigh nodded before adding, “We both know what happens to the Crownsguard and Kingsglaive that abandon their jobs. I mean, that’s the whole reason I’ve been hiding so much from my dad to begin with.”

“You have?” Lenire looked up at her.

“Well, of course,” Avaleigh admitted, feeling a bit of emotion rising up inside of her. “He has no idea that Mom sold the house we had when he still lived with us, let alone that she spends most the money he sends home on alcohol and makes me live off the allowance he gives me, and--”

“I didn’t know she was doing that,” Lenire interrupted with a frown. “Ava, why weren’t you telling me what was going on? I get not telling your dad, but were you really just keeping all of this to yourself?”

Avaleigh shook her head. “I--didn’t know what to say… I’ve never seen this side of my mom before. And when she was falling into it, I didn’t do anything to stop it. I just let her go deeper into depression and didn’t try to figure out what was wrong since I was trying to cope with Dad being gone too and figured she could handle herself…” Her voice trailed off and she took in a sharp breath, closing her eyes. “Gods… I’m an awful daughter, aren’t I?”

“Oh please, Avaleigh,” Lenire placed her tea cup on the table and leaned forward, placing her hand on Ava’s knee, making her look up at her. “You had nothing to do with your mom falling into depression, alright? You’re her daughter--if anything, she should have been there for you to make sure you were alright.”

“Yeah, but--” Avaleigh started to object.

“You can play the what-if game all you want,” Lenire interjected with a firm yet kind voice, “but it doesn’t change the fact that your mom is the one responsible for her own actions, not you.” She sat back in her seat and let out a long breath. “Your dad’s term of being a Crownsguard ends in December, right?” When Avaleigh nodded, she told her, “Then stay here until then. When he comes back we can explain everything that’s happened and things will work out.”

Avaleigh took in a deep breath and nodded, “Alright… But I should make sure to see my mom before then.” Lenire scoffed, making Avaleigh look up at her. “I know she messed up--a lot--but... she’s still my mom. I should at least give her the chance to make things right.”

Lenire scowled deeper than usual, and looked back at her cooled tea. “I’m coming with you when that happens, then. Alright?”

“Yeah,” Avaleigh agreed with a quiet voice. “I’d prefer you to be there…”

Their conversation fell into a lull as both of them got lost in their thoughts. Avaleigh sipped her tea, despite it losing its prior heat, and looked back out to the street. Lenire let out a long breath, and lightly drummed her fingers along the table. Several minutes of silence passed between them before Lenire spoke up in a calmer voice, changing the subject.

“So, do you think you’ll actually try baking those tarts this weekend?” she asked, softly smiling at Avaleigh when their gazes met.

Avaleigh smiled in return and shortly nodded. “I would like to. I’ll probably have to go shopping tomorrow to get some of the ingredients.”

“Do we not have all the ingredients here?” Lenire asked. “I know we have a few Duscaen oranges.”

“I’m not sure, actually,” Avaleigh admitted, shifting in her seat as she tried to leave her negative emotions behind. “I haven’t really searched through your cupboards.”

Lenire smirked. “Well, you can go look if you’d like, so you can at least know what you need to buy. And then maybe if we have enough stuff already, you can try baking a batch tonight.”

Avaleigh mulled it over for a moment before nodding, “Alright, I’ll go do that. Do you want to help if I attempt the bake?”

Lenire slightly wrinkled her nose. “I’m not much of a baker, but I wouldn’t mind watching.”

She chuckled, “That’s good enough. I don’t usually get company while baking.” She stood from her seat and grabbed her tea cup. “Better get inside then.”

“Good idea,” Lenire agreed as she also stood, picking up her half-empty tea cup and the kettle before following Avaleigh inside.

They went to the kitchen and Avaleigh placed her tea cup in the sink before she began searching through the cupboards, pulling out various ingredients she knew off the top of her head would make up the pastry. 

As Lenire placed her cup in the sink, she wiped her hands together and spoke up, “I’m going to go change out of my uniform real quick--be right back.”

“Sounds good,” Avaleigh replied without looking back. 

The moment she heard Lenire’s bedroom door close behind her, she paused her search and placed her hands along the countertop. The knot in her stomach that had been there ever since arriving to Lenire’s suddenly tightened, making her take in a sharp uneasy breath. She closed her eyes and mentally berated herself for allowing her anxiety to get the best of her. 

“Ava,” Eliana’s kind voice, brought Avaleigh out of her thoughts and she looked up to see Eliana entering the kitchen with a concerned expression written on her face. “Everything alright, sweetie?”

Avaleigh strained a smile and wordlessly nodded. She looked back to the opened cupboard in front of her and explained, “Y-yeah, I was just trying to think of some ingredients for a new recipe I wanted to try.” 

Eliana eyed her for a moment before asking, “And what recipe is this?”

“Oh, just something I tried at school today that Ignis made for Prince Noctis,” she informed her as she tugged at one of her curls.

“I see,” Eliana smiled. “That certainly is a recipe worth trying.”

Avaleigh’s smile grew a little as she nodded. “Yeah, I’ve been looking forward to recreating it.”

“You have?” Eliana asked, looking her over. “You don’t seem nearly as excited as I thought you might be.”

Avaleigh looked up at her, her smile diminishing as she opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to figure out what to say.

“I won’t pry, because it’s not my place,” Eliana told her as she came forward and placed her hand gently on Avaleigh’s arm. “But I’ve known my daughter’s best friend long enough to know when something is bothering her. If you need to talk, I’m here.”

Avaleigh placed her hand over Eliana’s and nodded, “Thank you, that really means a lot. I think… I just need some time alone.” She looked back at the ingredients already on the counter. “I’ll put these away.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it,” Eliana assured her. “Go get some rest. I’ll call you when dinner’s ready.” She lightly squeezed Avaleigh’s arm before releasing her.

“Thank you,” Avaleigh replied, a small lump forming in her throat as she turned to head back to her room.

She leaned back against the bedroom door, once she closed it behind her and let out a long breath. She silently looked around the room, glancing over the framed pictures along the walls that showed Lenire with her mother and late father in various places. Her gaze rested on her own framed picture standing on top of a dark wooden bookshelf beside her bed, the same one Ignis had grabbed for her when he had packed her things at her mother’s home. Pushing herself off the door, she walked over to the bookshelf and picked up the frame before slowly sitting down at the edge of the bed, feeling the plush olive green comforter meld to her form.

The longer she stared at the picture, the larger the lump grew in her throat. Seeing her with her dad, both of them beaming with grins, brought up a well of emotions. Taking in a shaking breath, she placed the picture down beside her and fell back on the bed completely, allowing her body to sink into the plush mattress. She stared up at the ceiling, absently watching the fan slowly spin around and around as her mind fell to daydreams. 

A sudden buzz from her pocket, brought her out of her trance. Blinking a few times to bring her daydreams back to the present, she reached into her coat pocket and pulled out her phone, seeing the screen brightly lit with a new text from Ignis.

_Is there a certain time this weekend you expect to be baking? I would like to make sure I will be free to aid you._

His text brought the slightest flutter to her heart, but vanished as she thought over his question; baking seemed to be the last thing on her mind. With a small frown, she replied.

_I’m not really sure. Sorry._

She hit send in a rush and immediately felt a sting of regret for being somewhat curt with him. Her fingers drummed along the sides of her phone as she stared at her text on the bright screen. With a shake of her head, she dropped the device on her chest and went back to staring at the fan, wallowing in her feelings.

Barely three minutes had passed before her phone began to buzz. Ava ignored it, letting out a breath as she closed her eyes, before it buzzed again, and again. She opened her eyes with confusion as she slowly picked up her phone, feeling her heart jump to her throat as she realized Ignis was calling her. She immediately lifted her finger to answer the call, but paused, suddenly feeling nervous. Lightly biting her lip, she allowed it to buzz once more before swiping over the screen to answer the call.

Bringing the phone to her ear, she stammered, “H-hello?”

“I apologize for calling without properly notifying you beforehand,” Ignis quickly apologized before adding, “However, I was worried something was amiss and wanted to make sure you were alright.”

Avaleigh couldn’t stop the corners of her mouth from tipping upwards into a faint smile. She let out a soft, breathy laugh, “Oh, thank you… It’s sweet, erm-I mean, nice, of you to check in on me.” She bit the inside of her cheek and brought her free hand to her forehead at her remark. Ignis chuckled quietly on the other end making Avaleigh inwardly groan as she sat up and added, “But-uh, I’m doing alright. Just…” her voice trailed off for a moment before she finished with an unintentional hushed voice. “Thinking about things.”

“I see,” Ignis replied thoughtfully. “I understand completely, if you wish to be left alone for the time being I can-”

“No!” Avaleigh interrupted quickly and a bit loudly, before she cleared her throat and spoke with a calmer voice, “No, i-it’s fine, really. I wouldn’t mind having someone to talk to.”

She could sense Ignis smiling as he spoke, “Very well then. What would you like to talk about?”

Avaleigh thought about it for a moment, her heart racing in her chest as she searched for any sort of cohesive sentence. “How… was your day?” she eventually spoke up.

“Hmm,” Ignis thoughtfully hummed before he answered, “Quite uneventful, I’m afraid. And yourself?”

“About the same…” she slowly replied, feeling an awkward tension rising in her gut as she tugged at a stray curl. “Well, except for getting to try that pastry of yours today.”

“I am very much looking forward to trying your rendition of it,” he quickly replied. 

Her heart fluttered from his words but she shook it off. “Don’t get your hopes up,” she reminded him.

He slightly chuckled, “I have no doubt it will be delicious.”

Avaleigh smiled in response but fell silent as she tried to think of what to talk about next. Her thoughts were muddled with her panicking heart. Something about Ignis sent her entire mind into a frenzy. She took in a shaking breath, quickly caught by Ignis.

“Avaleigh,” he spoke softly with concern laced in, “Are you alright?”

“S-sorry,” she stammered out an apology, “I’m just…” her voice trailed off while Ignis silently and patiently awaited her response. “Nervous…” she muttered the word out.

“You needn’t feel nervous around me,” he assured her with a kind voice.

She scoffed and blurted, “It’s hard not to.” 

“What do you mean?” he asked her with a bit of confusion.

“I-it’s nothing,” she quickly shook her head, averting his question. 

“If I have done anything to make you uncomfortable-” he began to surmise her reasoning.

“It’s nothing like that,” she assured him, standing from her bed as she began slowly pacing around the room. “Just forget I said anything.”

Ignis let out an audible sigh, “If you insist, I will not pry. Yet I do not wish to make you nervous.” He was silent for a moment in thought, before suggesting, “If it would help, I can reduce the amount of messages I send you throughout the week. I suppose I have become a bit overwhelming with them.”

“Ignis, please,” Avaleigh interrupted him with a bit of a laugh in her voice. She let out a sigh of her own as Ignis fell silent and began to explain. “You haven’t done anything wrong, alright? I just… don’t understand you.” He began to object, but she continued, “You’re a Crownsguard for the Prince of Insomnia... You live a completely different life than I do, one that requires a ton of responsibility and honor. And here you’ve been taking the time to talk to me the past two weeks. I just, don't understand why.”

“I find you quite charming,” Ignis intercepted her before she could continue.

Ava’s eyes widened as she choked on his words and fell back into a sitting position on the edge of her bed. A familiar blush warmed her cheeks as she almost squeaked a reply, “Y-you do?”

“And my duty to the Prince does not keep me from associating with anyone I choose,” he continued with a more serious tone in his voice. “I have kept in contact with you since we met merely because I wanted to. I rather enjoy our chats.”

“I do too,” she added softly, a smile growing on her lips. “Thank you.”

“For what?” he asked genuinely.

“For clearing that up… I guess,” she lightly laughed at herself, her heart still racing yet her thoughts were finally clearing. “I’m still surprised you actually like talking to me though. I’m sort of a mess.”

He breathily chuckled, “Not nearly as much as you think.”

Avaleigh smiled in response as their conversation reached a comfortable lull, after a few seconds, Ignis cleared his throat.

“How have you enjoyed your stay at Lenire’s?” he inquired, changing the subject.

“Oh,” Ava looked around her room. “It’s been pretty nice. Lenire and her mom have been really welcoming… Even gave me my own room.”

“Hmm,” Ignis hummed in response. “That is indeed preferable.”

Avaleigh laughed, “Yeah, agreed. And Lenire and I have started a little tradition to have tea together every day after we get back from school. So, that’s really relaxing and something to look forward to.”

“I would prefer a cup of Ebony myself,” he commented.

“Yes, I figured as much,” Ava snickered, recalling the scent of coffee on his breath when they had first met.

“You did?” he asked in slight amusement. “What gave me away?”

“Oh-uh,” a flush came to her cheeks, unsure how to explain she remembered his breath, “I-I just guessed, I guess.” 

Ignis began to respond, but his voice was drowned out as the door to the room was swung open, startling Avaleigh. With a gasp and a jump, she whipped her attention to the doorway seeing Lenire walking in with a prominent scowl with a down-right giddy Prompto in tow.

“You’ll never guess who showed up,” Lenire began to speak, stopping short when she saw the phone pressed up against Avaleigh’s ear, “Oh, sorry! Didn’t realize-”

“Hey Avaleigh!” Prompto greeted with a simple wave of his hand, not at all noticing the phone in her hand. “I was on my regular evening run when I saw Leni on her balcony!”

Lenire shushed him, softly smacking him with the back of her hand, “She’s on the phone, dummy.”

“Ooooh,” Prompto realized, drastically lowering his volume. He caught sight of the phone and instantly pointed towards it, “It’s Iggy isn’t it?”

“W-what?” Avaleigh stammered, still trying to catch up with what had just happened.

She could hear Ignis sigh on the other end of the line, “Is Prompto there?”

“Yeah” Avaleigh replied with a short laugh, “Apparently he found Lenire on his evening run.”

“Tell him I said hi!” Prompto told her with his hands cupped around his mouth.

“Come on,” Lenire borderline groaned as she turned and pointed out of the room, “Give her some privacy, alright?” As Prompto resigned and left the room, Lenire glanced over her shoulder and told Avaleigh, “Dinner’s almost ready and Mr. Sunshine will probably be joining us, that alright?” 

“Yeah, that’s fine,” Avaleigh smiled. “I’ll finish up my call with Ignis.”

Lenire smirked at the mention of Ignis, but didn’t say anything more as she turned and left the room, closing the door behind her.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thank you so much for taking the time to read this story!  
> This once was a story that would intersect with a FFXV Fanfic my friend was writing as well (Her character is Lenire).  
> The first chapters of both coincide and you can read her chapter here: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12426934/1/Lenire-Sanctum
> 
> She was unable to continue writing due to life just getting too busy, but I've decided after about a year, that I would like to continue! So if you decide to stick with me, I hope you enjoy where it leads!


End file.
